The present invention relates to using an Intelligent Peripheral in a network. In particular, the present invention relates to systems and methods for using applications and features that are driven by an Intelligent Peripheral in a telephone-network environment.
Intelligent Peripherals (IP) are devices that perform services such as playing an announcement, collecting digits, recognizing voice commands, converting text to speech, recording and deleting a user-specific announcement, and verifying digits, for example, for callers who connect to a network through a switch. IP""s can have bearer and signaling communication paths to switches, and have signaling communication paths to databases. FIG. 1 is an example of how an IP might be configured within a network. In this figure, IP 101 is connected to switch 102 via a signaling and bearer connection. Switch 102 is connected to database 103 via a signaling connection. The signaling connection can, for example, be part of the GR1129 protocol. Calling party 104 can dial a telephone number. This can result in a call-request received by switch 102, which can then signal database 103 with information about the caller. If database 103 determines that certain services are required (e.g., play announcement and collect caller digits), then database 103 can contact IP 101, via switch 102, asking IP 101 to perform the services. For example, the database can cause the IP to perform its particular function.
The capabilities of this embodiment are limited in that the switch and IP must use the same protocol (typically, the GR1129 and the GR1299 protocol). Additionally, in this embodiment, database 103 can only talk to IP 101 through switch 102, unnecessarily tying up switch 102.
FIG. 2 is another example of how an IP might be configured within a network. In this figure, IP 201 is connected to switch 202 for connection control only, but is connected directly to database 203 via a signaling connection for service control. The features of this embodiment are extremely limited, however, because a switch that uses the ITU-T protocol can not be an advanced intelligent network (AIN) switch. Thus, the services offered by the embodiment in FIG. 2 are limited to ITU-T services.
Regardless of the protocols used, it is thought that network performance might be improved if the IP-database-switch interaction were implemented in a way that is substantially protocol independent, and in a way that allows for direct communication between various components.
To alleviate the shortcomings in known systems, an embodiment of the present invention provides IP-database-switch interaction in a substantially protocol-independent way, while allowing for direct communication between the IP and the database.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a method provides communication service in an Advanced Intelligent Network environment, the communication service utilizing at least a database, an AIN switch and an intelligent peripheral (IP). An alert message is sent from the database to the IP. The alert message includes a parameter identifying an arbitrary protocol that is used for the IP and the database to communicate. The IP can have the ability to understand multiple protocols so that the AIN switch, the database and the IP can communicate in an efficient and flexible way. Once the IP is contacted, and a protocol is decided upon, the IP can establish a bearer connection with the switch. The IP can then receive instructions from the database to perform a service. Alternatively, the database and IP can send and receive instructions to perform the service prior to creating the bearer connection.